EASTLEIGH boss Richard Hill is sceptical about adding any more senior players to his squad so close to the new season.

His worry is that players would be joining for the wrong reason at this late stage and could potentially upset the existing group.

Hill leads his newly-promoted Spitfires into pre-season action against his old club Northampton Town at the Silverlake Stadium tomorrow (Friday, 7.30pm) with just over a week to go before the big Vanarama Conference Premier opener at Nuneaton Town (August 9).

He said: “You have to careful. I’ve been demanding a bit more and a bit more of my players each week and how would you feel if you’d done the whole pre-season and then someone new was brought in a week before the first game?

“I’ve got lads who’ve been back for six weeks and worked their nuts off and committed themselves to Eastleigh FC.

“The only players out there now have been touted round here, there and everywhere by their agents, giving them false hope, and now they just want the best deal they can.

“I had an agent telling me the other day that such and such a player really suited Eastleigh. But why is he telling me that now? Why didn’t the player really suit Eastleigh a month ago?

“The fact is it’s Eastleigh that suits the player because we’ve got a few bob and people think we’re throwing it around.

“We’ve got to be careful that anyone we sign is coming for the right reason.”

One player who might be in with a chance is wideman Marlon Jackson who has impressed on trial.

But the former Bristol City, Hereford, Bury and Halifax man has been out since damaging a hamstring at Billericay.

“We’ll see what the situation is when he’s fit,” said Hill.